By Earl Chelkowski
Applying to college is very stressful and time consuming, so how do students balance this process with sports, extracurriculars, and social life? LREI has a 100% graduation rate and the school has a big focus on sending its students to prestigious universities. One of the main resources the school provides for this is the college office, which is run by Carey and Dana. The college office “pretty much supports you with anything that you need regarding college admission work” said Ian Shearer, a senior graduating in the class of 2025. In Junior year students have one meeting; first by themselves, and then with them and their parents. Then, in Senior year, students have 3-4 meetings during the first couple months of school to finish early applications by around November 1st. Then, finishing all applications by early January. Another resource that the school offers are college representative visits, which are open to all Juniors and Seniors. These help students figure out what schools interest them, while also building relationships between students and the representatives that visit LREI. LREI gives students the support they need to help them have the best chance of getting into the college they want to.
Billie Allee, a 12th grader, is looking for schools with high team spirit. She says, “…schools like USC.” In general, Billie says she is stressed, however, she has multiple ways to make the process easier for herself, including using a planner and creating weekend schedules for writing her supplemental essays. These tools help her manage her time between applying to college and being the girls varsity soccer team manager, writing and editing for the Knightly News, and being an active member of LREI’s student government. In addition, Billie speaks fondly of the college office, saying, “The door is always open and students can go and ask them any questions.”
Jasiri Young, a senior, is “looking for schools with good business programs, including accelerated MBA programs, that are on the East coast.” His schedule is very busy as he has many obligations including student government, sports teams, affinity groups, and paid work outside of school. Despite the many activities he participates in, he has found a way to balance his time. Jasiri has created a very efficient routine, explaining, “I manage my time by doing my work before I go to the gym so I can use my workouts as a reward for completing my schoolwork.” Jasiri has an optimistic view on his college process. While obtaining the usual stress behind the workload, he says, “I think that it will all be worth it in the end.”
Ian Shearer, a senior and competitive athlete, has a passion for sports. Ian says, “I am looking at mostly D3 liberal arts colleges where I can play baseball and still get an education similar to the one we get at LREI.” Ian plays baseball frequently and is trying to play in college. This takes up a lot of his free time, and “time management has never been one of my strengths,” he admits, “but I’m getting better at it because of all this work that I have to do for college as well as my homework.” He continues, “Carey and Dana are super helpful.”
While the thick of the college process is navigated in senior year, Juniors have already started with some aspects of it. Angus Cooke, a Junior at LREI, has begun preparing for the SAT. He says, “I spend 1-2 hours a week with a tutor and 3-4 hours a week on practice problems.” When talking about what schools he wants to go to, Angus explains, “I haven’t had a chance to see many schools, so I’m not sure what I’m looking for.” However, Angus claims that the rep visits have been very helpful in learning his likes and dislikes about colleges at every visit he attends.
For each student there is a shared feeling of stress and anxiety, but also an appreciation for the college office. Students at LREI should capitalize on the strong resources the school offers, by getting help from Carey and Dana while also utilizing the college rep visits. Throughout the whole college process, students will build their time management skills, which will play a significant role throughout their entire lives as they face the real world.